Don't Look
by parenchyma
Summary: Someone with a grudge against Kakashi seeks his greatest weakness, and Iruka gets caught in the crossfire. Kakashi gets...protective. KakaIru!


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto characters, plot, or whatever…NOT MINE! I just like to play…every now and then. :)

Paring: Kaka/Iru

Warnings: none…unless you need a FLUFF warning, heh.

Rating: harmless, few bad words, I'd give it a PG

**Don't Look**

Yoshi stared moodily into his drink. He was trying so desperately not to kill someone that the effort was causing his drink to shake, and that was unacceptable. Three days ago he'd received his mission- find Hatake Kakashi's greatest weakness and exploit it at any cost. At first, he had thought it would take at least a month to even track down the famous Copynin, but, finding Hatake had actually been amazingly simply. All he'd done was walk into a Ramen bar and wait, and in the man walked. What happened next, however, had set Yoshi's teeth on edge and made him seriously wonder if his village elder's were as wise as they made themselves out to be.

Hatake had claimed a seat towards that the far end, and was currently reading some strange orange book. Yoshi tried to read the title, and upon succeeding, couldn't help the frown from creasing his young face. _Icha Icha Paradise_? What kind of man read porn in public? Taking a deep breath, Yoshi made little mental notes about the Shinobi's actions, his posture, the way he sat, where he sat, and the way he seemed to be so engrossed in his book, anyone could come up and slit his throat. Of course, Yoshi also knew that any ninja worth his kunai would never be so careless, so it had to be an act. It just had to. Yoshi took a deep breath and began to pick at the bowl of ramen in front of him. The village was swarming with visitors for the Allied Appreciation Festival, so a strange shinobi at the ramen stand didn't stand out anymore than the others.

Yoshi looked up as he saw a young man approaching Hatake. The man was young, with dark brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail, and a notable scar across his cheeks and nose. He was attractive, anyone could see that, and as a blush stained his cheeks, he swore he saw a young kunoichi giggle and swoon. What happened next, however, made Yoshi pause. Hatake immediately put his book and down and turned the full intensity of his attention on the man as he flopped down across from the Copynin. Yoshi extended his senses to listen to their conversation.

"Iruka-sensei, imagine seeing you here," the voice was teasing, gentle.

"Kakashi-sensei, I see you're still reading your porn," the other returned. They were obviously trying to keep up the pretense of friends, but the undercurrent of tension was so palpable, even children must be able to pick up on it.

"How was your day?" Hatake asked, his one visible eye creasing into a happy arc. The other took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Hard. I swear, with this Festival in town, the kids are getting even worse. Half the class has detention, and the other half is writing a three page essay on the proper use of shuriken," the voice was tired, strained, and Yoshi watched as the feared Copynin of Konoha, The Great and Awesome Sharingan no Kakashi, seemed to melt into a big puddle of besotted goo. His eyes filled with a look so blatantly full of adoration and love that it was kind of pathetic. Surely a feared ninja wouldn't show his emotions so easily? Hatake, however, was now staring at the other man, Iruka, with a look of such love-struck smitten-ness that he wondered how the other put up with it.

"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei, perhaps there's something I can do for you?" Hatake almost purred. Yoshi felt himself blush, the innuendo clear to anyone with ears. He noted, with some satisfaction, that he could see the other's ears turn bright red.

"Why, Kakashi-sensei, that's very nice of you…perhaps you could come by later and help me grade some of those essays?"

"I would love to help you grade papers, Sensei."

Yoshi wanted to throw up into his drink. Three hours into his mission and already he'd found Hatake's weakness, and it had nothing to do with brothels, illegal substances, or sake. Oh no, Hatake Kakashi's weakness was a schoolteacher named Iruka.

The look on Hatake's face clearly read, "Leave now or face public groping," and the schoolteacher seemed to sense this with alarming speed. Iruke shot to his feet and made his way out of the Ramen stand, goofy smile lighting his face. He barely looked at Yoshi as he passed. Hatake, however, was eyeing him with what looked to be barely concealed killing intent. Yoshi started to wonder if perhaps he should run, when Hatake appeared at his table.

"You're not much of a ninja, you know that?"

Yoshi bristled, "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're not much of a ninja. Anyone could have felt the chakra coming off of you in waves, and surely even you couldn't be stupid enough not to realize I knew you were trying to listen to us," the other sighed. Yoshi glared.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm simply trying to eat my dinner in peace, thank you."

Hatake sighed and sat down across form the man, a hard look in his single visible eye.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, hell, I don't really even care who sent you, but if it has anything to do with Iruka-sensei, then I'm afraid you and I are going to have to have a little chat."

"Obviously, you are mistaken," Yoshi quipped, "why would I care for a Konoha academy teacher?"

Hatake's eye seemed to go from steely malcontent to murderous in a second, and Yoshi suddenly became very uncomfortable in his seat.

"Why are you sitting here? Why have you been watching him? What do you _really _want? Are you looking for something in particular? Perhaps you're an _Icha Icha_ enthusiast? Maybe you'd like to start a book club? No, that's not it. No, I bet you're some young, inexperienced ninja from…hm…Sand? No, not sand…Mist, maybe? No, couldn't be Mist, they got over that a few years back. Well, perhaps Wave, then? No, I don't think so. Maybe you're working for someone, a business man? An angry elder? Or maybe you're not, either way, you've been watching me, and watching Iruka-sensei, and I'm afraid that just won't do."

Yoshi suddenly felt himself become incredibly warm under his uniform.

"Oh? And what proof do you have?"

Hatake merely smirked. Or Yoshi assumed he smirked.

"You see, Iruka-sensei is a very good…_friend_…of mine, and I care rather…_a lot_…about his happiness. And I know for certain, that fighting off death threats tends to put him…_on edge_. And when Iruka-sensei gets on edge, I don't like it."

Yoshi rolled his eyes. Sure, the implication wasn't obvious, not at all. Why not just stamp a tattoo on the poor schoolteacher's forehead, "Hatake Kakashi's property, keep away!"

"I'm not looking to seduce your little schoolteacher," the man huffed, putting up a brave front. Kakashi scoffed at the very idea.

"I never said you were. Quite frankly, if you even tried to say hello to him, you'd no longer be in possession of your penis, but that's not what this is about. No, this is about you, your piss poor shinobi skills, and the fact that you've deemed it necessary to drag my _friend_ into this mess."

To say the man was blunt would be a gross understatement. Obviously, Kakashi was in no mind to mince words, not when he had a _friend_ waiting at home for him. Yoshi shifted in his seat, trying in vain to mask his discomfort. This wouldn't look good when, or rather _if_, he ever got home. Found out within three hours of his mission, by the mission _target_, no less. Well, he wasn't going down without a fight.

"Look, sir, I'd like to finish my dinner. I'm glad you hold your friend in such high regard, but it has nothing to do with me," Yoshi bluffed. Oh, actually, it had _everything_ to do with him. A few choice words to a few choice people and Iruka-sensei would be moved to the head of the "to kill" list of rather a few people. The Copynin of Konoha had managed to wrack up more than a few enemies in his long, illustrious career. Strangely, though, Hatake only managed a sigh.

"Look, kid, I don't really hate you. In fact, I don't feel much of _anything_ towards you…which, I suppose, could work for you in two ways. Either I'm too lazy to bother wasting a kunai, or I'm too apathetic to care whether of not I'm stepping over your flayed intestines as I leave this table," Hatake managed to say all of this with an offhand air. Like they were discussing the weather.

"You wouldn't dare," Yoshi hissed.

"Yes, I would, and more." There was quiet steel in that voice, and an undercurrent of poison that promised all kinds of pain and torture. And suddenly, as if he'd run into a wall, Yoshi realized how horribly, utterly, and completely he was outclassed. Sitting before him was one of the most infamous ninja in the book, a man who was feared and respected in the same breath. A man who knew over a thousand jutsu, who had stood against any number of S-Classed ninja and _lived_ to tell about it, who had survived wars, fox demons, and insurgencies, and who had more power than that schoolteacher probably could even _fathom_, and yet, he was willing to risk everything for the man. Yoshi understood all too clearly his miscalculation. This Iruka wasn't Hatake's weakness, no, far from it. From the look in the man's eye, he was his greatest strength. The reason he lived, the reason he returned to go out on still more missions, the reason he wasn't about to let some stupid ass-wipe ruin a _very_ good thing. And to go after him, would be to bring down the wrath of one very pissed Copynin.

"A little overprotective, don't you think?" Yoshi gulped. Hatake grunted.

"Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good."

Yoshi watched the man nearly stalk out of the ramen stand like some overgrown panther, all lean lines and elegant power. He would tell his elders that he had found nothing. The Copynin had no exploitable weakness…except, he smirked, maybe they could do something with the porn thing? He let out a breath and heaved himself to his feet, intent on starting on his long journey home, grateful to still be able to take it.

Kakashi walked through the living room, bypassing the kitchen, and heading straight for the bedroom. He pushed open the door and smiled at the sight before him. Iruka was all but passed out on the bed, essays scattered about, red pen open and hanging loosely from the arm dangling off the side of the bed, his hair a mess of chocolate waves. Snapping quickly into action, Kakashi gathered the essays and recapped the pen, setting this all aside for the morning, before quickly turning his attention to the teacher, now muzzily returning to consciousness.

"Kashi?" came the muffled voice. Kakashi's features softened immediately at the voice.

"Here," he murmured into soft brown locks as he slowly wrapped himself around his lover.

"Mmm, what took you so long?" Iruka asked with a face-splitting yawn. Kakashi took a deep breath, arm tightening slightly around the teacher's waist.

"Got caught up talking to someone," he answered.

"Oh? That man that had been staring at you all night? I was worried…thought maybe I'd have a rival."

Kakashi let out a snort.

"Hardly. No, he was just a…fan, I guess you could say. Nothing to worry about, Ruka, go back to sleep," he gently instructed, hand running idly through soft brown hair.

"MMhmph," came another sleepy grumble before Kakashi felt the other man's breathing start to even out, the telltale signs of sleep taking over. Kakashi closed his eyes and nuzzled Iruka's body closer, happily reveling in the few stolen moments of closeness he could snatch with his teacher. Yes, his Iruka. He knew, _oh_ how he knew, that Iruka was more than capable of handling himself in a tough situation. He was an academy teacher, after all, and as such, had had to pass rigorous tests and evaluations. No, Iruka was an incredible shinobi in his own right, but still, he was Kakashi's incredible shinobi, and if the Copynin was ever so slightly overprotective, if he chose to spoil and pamper and coddle and cuddle slightly more than maybe he should, and if he was maybe a tad bit overly diligent when seeing to the happiness and whims of his lover, than so be it. It had been years…hell, decades, since he'd had this. Since he'd had someone to _have_, to touch, and kiss, and _claim_, as his. His most precious person. Yes, of course he had other precious people that he would do anything to protect, but Heaven _help_ the poor ass that tried to take his Iruka-sensei away from him, because there would be no place on this God-forsaken planet to hide from the pain and anguish that would result from the slow, tortuous death that awaited the bastard.

Indeed, he'd known the risks when they had first gotten involved, had even warned Iruka that perhaps they shouldn't get so serious. But, ironically, it had been the Copynin who had pushed their relationship, and turned their "brief fling," into nearly a two year committed and quite serious relationship. Iruka had explained, with infinite patience that he was not some glass figurine, some poor damsel in distress, and that if trouble happened to find him, than he could and _would_ deal with it. So far, however, Kakashi had done everything in his power to ensure that Iruka never had to deal with the kind of trouble Kakashi tended to attract. Yes, so the jounin was a bit overzealous when it came to the contentment of Iruka, and yes, maybe the jounin was overdoing it just a bit, but he had no intention of stopping. He doted on the poor chuunin, who seemed a bit flustered at first, but soon became accustomed to the extra attention, even expected it. Kakashi had smiled when he'd heard Iruka explaining their relationship to Genma one afternoon after classes. Genma had joked with the chuunin about his seemingly submissive role in the relationship, to which Iruka had simply grinned, before making his explanation. He'd told Genma that it wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself, of course, he'd been doing it for nearly 15 years, and besides, he managed countless little mini-nin on a daily basis, barely breaking a sweat. So, if Kakashi wanted to spoil him rotten, shower him with attention, and see to his every need…well, he'd let him. And that was the crux of the matter, the strange twist in their dynamic. Kakashi knew Iruka wasn't a needy damsel in distress; he was a strong, competent, and skilled ninja of Konoha. But at the same time, he was Kakashi's Ruka, Kakashi's to love and protect and take care of, and in turn, Iruka_ let_ himself be taken care of, returning the devotion and love tenfold for his Kashi. He was a ninja of Konoha, a loyal servant of the Hokage, a jounin instructor, a former Anbu agent, a damn fine assassin, the possessor of over 1000 jutsu, and the overprotective, overindulgent, overly enamored, and maybe the tiniest bit possessive lover of one academy schoolteacher, Umino Iruka. So back off, bitches.


End file.
